Special offer

What's in a (Street) Name?

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner CalBRE# 01433049

What's in a (Street) name? Apparently a lot if it means you will be living on it. Have you ever worked with a buyer where you found what looks like the perfect home and they say "I'm sorry, I can't live on _________". In my case, it was "Hurlbut Avenue". I guess that street name would have been too much of an embarrassment for him. He wouldn't even look at the house.

I understand how many times we need to give out our street address. We tell the moving van where to deliver our possessions. We make phone calls to initiate service for our many utilities. Johnny gets registered for school, "change of address" cards and e-mails get sent to family and friends.

And it doesn't stop there. Amazon knows our address, so does UPS and FED-EX. The paper boy sometimes misses my driveway, but he definitely knows my address. So is it really important to LIKE the address where we live? Is it important enough to base a decision in buying a house?

I had one buyer who kept going back and forth (literally) from a house on Dover Lane to a house on Hogwarts Circle. For you muggles out there, if you think that Hogwarts is some kind of swine blemish then I may as well be speaking in parseltongue. To the delight of my buyers elementary school daughters, Hogwarts won out.

And don't even get me started on a listing that came up on Snark Avenue. We couldn't get there fast enough!

Posted by

 

Cynthia Larsen (707-332-2560) is an independent real estate referral broker in Sonoma County, California as well as a Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist.

CA Broker License #01433049

Comments (118)

Carrie Sampron
Home Smart Realty Group - Highlands Ranch, CO
ABR SFR & Kathy Sampron (303) 931-3629 Highlands R

Cynthia:  Love Harry Potter and would move to Hogwarts Lane today if I could!  We have a Jackasshill Road nearby and plenty of people live there.  But my sister just couldn't bare to live on Pasque Flower (she was sure she would have to spell it the rest of her life) so she applied to the county to have it changed.  It was a new community and she was one of the first people on the street and got it approved, so I guess people will go to any length to be comfortable with the street name.  Carrie

Oct 27, 2010 10:45 AM
Kathy Kenney
Keller Williams, Princeton, NJ - Robbinsville, NJ
Realtor - Princeton & Central NJ Homes for Sale

I love Psycho Path!  There is a street in PA named "Street Road", very long and busy street.  I think the name of a street would come into play in my decision where to buy!  "Beverly Ct." is bad enough.  There is a condo community nearby that has the following streets, LeHavre, Chambord, Versailles and Cheverny.  You should hear how those names get butchered by both agents and prospective buyers!

Oct 27, 2010 11:14 AM
John Novak
Keller Williams Realty The Marketplace - Las Vegas, NV
Henderson, Las Vegas and Summerlin Real Estate

We have a couple of neighborhoods in Henderson that have some really difficult street names rooted in French and Irish. I know they're going for a theme, but I would really get frustrated having to repeat and spell my street name every time someone asked about it. Give me a basic 'Oak' name any day!

Oct 27, 2010 11:34 AM
Cynthia Larsen
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA

Holy cow, this post was featured? See what I get for being gone all day? Thanks AR.

Linda - booger swamp road? LOL.

Stephanie - Private Lane Rd is convenient, you don't have to buy a sign that says private lane.

Maureen - I'm with you on the short street name idea. Mine is 6 letters and I have to spell it every time. Much better than 16 letters.

Jen - whoo ya soundsl like a party!

Manuel - you are right, I WOULD love that subdivision.

Jen - "A" road. I live on a road. I love it.

Aaron - human behavior is sometimes lacking in logic.

Sharon - and now it's going to happen to you and you are going to curse me!

Rich - I'm surprised you don't get model plane!

Pamela - I'll have to find out what numbers are supposed to add up to. Seems like it could be a clever marketing plan!

Donna - sounds like your town needs a conversation piece!

Ray - so ... that's supposed to be bum-pass, right? Not bump-ass? Oh my!

Lynne - Easy street, I could live there too!

#88 - I found out from the comments that I would have a hard time living on Cancer street. Too much of a reminder of family and friends that have died from it.

Dawn - oh, mothers can be funny. That is a LONG street name you live on.

Phil - no street names? Oh see what you are missing?

Leslie - there have been several comments about easy street. I don't think we have one here, I'll have to check!

Lorrie - Robin on Bobbin. Wow ... and she passed up the perfect house? Yikes.

Yuriy - I agree!

Richard - I love those names!

#95 - now that is pretty magical.

Bukka - thanks for coming to my open house today ... long time no see. Too bad Hogwards circle isn't longer, we could sell houses all day long on that street!

Dorte - yellow snow road? oh how funny!

Jen - great seeing you as well! I was just telling Bukka it's a shame there aren't more houses on Hogwarts Circle ... what a hit that street name is!

Alan - huh, I wonder why they didn't like that name.

Carrie - we have a Jackass Hill vineyard. The wife always said "why did that jackass plant a vineyard on that steep hill"?

Katherine - I would hate to have to spell those street names all the time!

John - there is something to be said living on Oak street. The first house I sold was on Oak.

 

Oct 27, 2010 12:08 PM
Eric Fischer
Coldwell Banker Pioneer Real Estate - Moreno Valley, CA
Moreno Valley, CA Realtor

I always like putting offers in houses on "Spectacular Bid" Rd. Especially when its a low offer. LOL

Oct 27, 2010 12:28 PM
Cameron Novak
The Homefinding Center - 1000 Palms, CA
Real Estate Broker since 2008

I can never get any of my clients to look at homes on "GAY STREET" in my city.  I can't blame them... even if the intended meaning was intended differently than we read it now.

Oct 27, 2010 01:15 PM
Sara Kraemer
United Real Estate Lexington - Lexington, KY

Ha!  This is pretty funny.  So true though!  What are they thinking when they name the streets?  I can't think of any bad ones here in Lexington, KY off the top of my head...but I know we have some. 

Oct 27, 2010 01:31 PM
Cynthia Larsen
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA

Eric - now THAT's funny!

Cameron - Wow ... we live in two different worlds in the same State of California. I would have buyers lining up to live on GAY STREET. According to a demographer at the University of California Los Angeles, Sonoma County is the second largest GAY community in the Nation, second only to San Francisco which is 45 miles south. Nobody here gives a rip who is gay or straight.

Sara - I have a street called "No Name Street" about a couple of miles from where I live. I always got a kick out of that one.

Erica - you are so sweet ... thanks!

 

 

Oct 27, 2010 01:54 PM
Charita Cadenhead
eXp Realty - Birmingham, AL
Serving Jefferson and Shelby Counties (Alabama)

I have heard of a lot of streets with really weird names, but it never dawned on me that the names of the streets would prevent someone from wanting to have an address on that street.  Strange. Very strange.

Oct 27, 2010 02:07 PM
Cynthia Larsen
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA

BDAMB - you are one of the sweetest people I have ever met. My sense of humor gets me through each and every strange day!

Oct 27, 2010 02:17 PM
Ray Mikus
Green Light Real Estate - Montpelier, VT
Green Means Go!

Lots of towns in Vermont have a Poor Farm Road.  I had a listing for a house on Justa Road.  It's in the same town as Country Road.  It's also tricky at first to remember that you take the Calais Road to get from Worcester to Calais, but if you're on the same road going from Calais to Worcester, it's the Worcester Road.  Got it?  Then there's Cliff Street in Montpelier...Not that exciting until the landslide a few years ago... 

Oct 27, 2010 02:29 PM
Emmary Simpson
Las Cruces Homes and Land - Las Cruces, NM
Serving Las Cruces, NM

I'm not sure what a Turkey Knob is...but it doesn't sound appetizing!  I'll have to see if I can find one on my turkey this year.

Oct 27, 2010 05:17 PM
Pamela Seley
West Coast Realty Division - Murrieta, CA
Residential Real Estate Agent serving SW RivCo CA

Cynthia, from what I know, what number the street number adds up to depends on the individual.  So a good number could be different for each person.  Has to do with astrology, time and date when born, I believe. 

Oct 27, 2010 07:00 PM
Cynthia Larsen
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA

Ray - oh how funny, we have the Richmond-San Rafael bridge, you call it by which direction you are heading.

Emmary - I'm paying special attention to the Turkey we will be having on Thanksgiving.

Pamela - oh great ... sounds like I need to add a few more questions to my client interview so I can figure out their number. LOL

Oct 28, 2010 04:02 AM
Jon Quist
REALTY EXECUTIVES ARIZONA TERRITORY - Tucson, AZ
Tucson's BUYERS ONLY Realtor since 1996

Don't laugh. I had EXACTLY the same thing said to me by a serious buyer. I wish I could remember the name of the street.

The buyer was right. I could have never told anyone I lived on a street with that name.

Not a big deal in this case. I had saved the best house on the tour for the end of the day, and that's exactly the house they bought!

Oct 28, 2010 07:18 PM
Eugene Lew
RE/MAX equity group - Happy Valley, OR

I have never had a buyer not like the street name, but I did have a buyer change the numbers on his home, for Feng-Shui reasons.

Can't change a street name though, unless you're the only one there... then I'm not sure how difficult it would be.

Oct 30, 2010 01:26 PM
Coleen DeGroff
Coldwell Banker M.M. Parrish Realtors - Gainesville, FL
Haile Plantation Real Estate - Gainesville FL

Cynthia - Haven't had this happen yet. Just a matter of time I suppose.  Makes me wonder about all of the people who can't, for whatever reason, have homes to call their own.....wonder if a funky name would stop them from making a dream like that come true.

Nov 01, 2010 03:45 AM
Cynthia Larsen
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA

Jon - I'm glad this doesn't happen often, but I sometimes wonder what folks are thinking when they name a street!

Eugene - I wonder how many Cities have to deal with street and/or number changes. Or is it up to the Post Office?

Coleen - now that you have read this post, it will happen to you this month!

Nov 01, 2010 04:51 AM
Thomas J. Nelson, REALTOR ® e-Pro CRS RCS-D Vets
Big Block Realty 858.232.8722 - La Jolla, CA
CEO of Vision Drive Realty - Coastal San Diego

I should live here:

Thomas J Nelson

Jul 11, 2017 06:57 AM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-617-6375
Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty - Love our Great City - Love our Clients! Buckhead - Midtown - Westside - Atlanta, GA
Concierge Service for Our Atlanta Sellers & Buyers

Cynthia Larsen 
Great post - names mean such different things to different people. I love learning about the reasons street names were chosen. Congrats on Feature.

In Atlanta, one set are called "MERRY- CHRISTMAS - JODY - HOLLY and REINDEER" - guess that one is easy to understand!
All the best - Lynn

Jul 11, 2017 01:42 PM